Connecting Public Schools and Public Libraries

Last week, Mayor Bloomberg, in conjunction with the heads of NYPL, BPL, QPL, and affiliated corporate sponsors, announced the expansion of the MyLibraryNYC program. The initiative connects students and teachers in New York City public schools with resources from area public libraries.

“By expanding the volumes of our school libraries to include the collections of three of the largest public library systems in the country, we are increasing the opportunities for our students to meet the higher bar of the Common Core standards and graduate ready for college and careers,” said Bloomberg.

The project will rely on a centralized online catalog (supported by BiblioCommons; pilot overview) that allows public school students access to over 17 million books in any of the three area public library systems. Per the press release: "Each student in one of the 400 participating schools will receive a new library card, and teachers may order up to 100 books – or class sets – as part of lesson plans. Teachers may also use online social tools to collaborate with their peers, share ideas and post their own recommended book lists."

The expansion builds upon the existing MyLibraryNYC pilot program between NYPL and 86 public schools. The new initiative will expand the program to include both the BPL and QPL systems and will increase the program's reach to 250,000 students immediately and over 1.1 million students by 2015. With nearly 90 percent of teachers participating in the pilot program reporting MyLibraryNYC "better equipped them to teach" and book check-outs tripling among student participants, the program's expansion will further encourage reading, support education, and help strengthen the relationship between students, teachers, and local libraries.

Video of Mayor Bloomberg making the announcing the MyLibraryNYC expansion on November 28, 2012 is embedded below: